


I Am Strong

by Chels0320_LovingtheSongbird



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Beth Greene Lives, Beth Lives, Eventual Smut, F/M, Feels, Kissing, Loss, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Episode: s05e08 Coda, Reunions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-10 14:34:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4395593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chels0320_LovingtheSongbird/pseuds/Chels0320_LovingtheSongbird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a bunch of short stories I have come up with that add to Beth's survival. I have already two ongoing Beth Survival stories but this is just where I put extra "scenes" per say. Every chapter is a different story so don't confuse yourself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Again?!

**Author's Note:**

> Rating: T for language I guess lol  
> Genre: Drama  
> Summary: Beth wakes up in Grady Memorial Hospital… Again…

_'I had had a really nice child hood. Christmases, Birthdays, Picnics, etc. Maggie taught me how to ride a horse at the age of 5. I remember when I was much older riding Romeo up and down our creek, dismounting and just would listen… Listen to the flow of the water. The clear water… it was so… Crimson?.. Blood?! What?! No. Stop.'_

 

The pain was the most horrible thing she had ever experienced. The tears would not stop coming, she just wanted the pain to go away. It felt like something was clawing its way into her brain. Then she started freaking out more because she got an image of a walker biting its rotting teeth into her head. She didn’t know she was the one screaming until someone was beside her ushering someone to “keep this bitch quiet or I will.” Which didn’t calm her down whatsoever.

“Get him out of here and keep her stable!"

“How the hell do I do that?” A feminine voice rang through her head through her screams.

“That syringe now!”

 

 

_'Family gatherings were boring but what I wouldn’t give to get one more day with Daddy… Mommy… Maggie… Shawn. We were such a tight knit family, even if I didn’t appreciate it then. We would have church picnics, they would come to all my choir practices, and we would just enjoy togetherness. I remember when we were all sitting at the dinner table and they had just found out about Jimmy… Mom had been ecstatic but daddy, not so much. Him and Shaun crossed their arms and just shook their heads. Maggie was teasing as always._

_Mom? Shaun? What’s wrong? Stop! You’re hurting me!_

_Daddy help! Daddy?... what happened to your- No. this can’t be happening. DADDY!_

_Maggie?! Where are you?!?! HELP!'_

 

 

“Beth, you need to calm down.”

She was screaming again, the burning pain clawing through her head was unbearable.

“MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE!”

“I am! Just… There ya’ go… Go to sleep, Beth.”

 

 

_I didn’t realize his true feelings until that fateful night. Why hadn’t I seen it sooner? I held his hand, he held mine. He gave me a piggy back ride, for god’s sake. He had set and carried me bridal style to the damn table where lunch was. A table HE had set for them that afternoon. He had changed so much from when we were fist got stuck together. A snarling defensive creature, to a caring loving soul._

_“What changed your mind?”_

_“……..” Those eyes, they could say a million words without him uttering one from those lips of his._

_“…… Oh.” I got it… I changed him. And maybe something more than that._

_“I’m not gonna leave you!”_

_I was dodging walkers left and right while trying to ignore the slight pain in my ankle which was not easy. Arms grabbed me. I twisted out of the arms but not without falling and hitting my head and landing on my wrist painfully._

 

Beth’s eyes shot open. The headache had dulled to a bearable harsh ache. Her room was dark and no one was present, no one she could see anyways. She knew where she was. She was in Grady. She had woken in a hospital room… in Grady… again. She was getting tired of this shit.


	2. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Story #2 Beth is banished form Grady just to end up with the Wolves. Licari Shoots Beth theory. Beth is a bad ass She- Wolf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this out a while ago. I love writing about Bad Ass/Savage Beth. It’s so fun. Plus the Wolves theory I learned from @bethgreenewarriorprincess on Tumblr. It’s an interesting throy.

When Beth had fully recovered from the near fatal gunshot wound to her forehead, she had found out from Edwards that Licari had been aiming the gun at Rick and instead missed hitting her instead. It wasn’t the fact that he was the one who ultimately almost ended her life, it was the fact he had been aiming at her family. 

Edwards begrudgingly told her where he was and she made her way to the men’s showering quarters. She came out from the side just as he was getting out of the shower, his towel hanging around his hips.

“Hey, sweat heart, come to spend some time-“ 

He was an idiot. An overconfident idiot. She smiled at him as she kept walking towards him and then immediately shoved the surgical scissors into his throat and twisted, hearing his satisfying gurgling sounds as blood ran down her arm. She only withdrew the scissors to plunge them into his temple.

Of course all of Grady didn’t take kindly to this, saying she was unpredictable and a danger to them all. Which was ironic to her but she didn’t care. She agreed to leave. She had been sick of that place from Day One. What surprised her was when Tanaka and Dr. Edwards volunteered to go with her.

\-----------------------

She hadn’t thought this Wolves establishment to be a permanent thing. Just somewhere to camp out for a while but after a few weeks it had become home. Beth had grown extremely close with the few kids there and had made some new friends as well. Some of them were ruthless and malicious but she stayed away from that part. Did she agree with some of their methods? No. Did she kill innocent people? No. She was with them to survive.

One day though they had shown her their “trap”. Huge solid containers harboring walkers. They pointed out the car which was part of the trap. She was disgusted. She went along with it but she couldn’t just let innocent people die because she didn’t do something. Later that night she found some yellow note paper and scrawled “TRAP. BAD PEOPLE” Shit. Her pin was running out of ink. She looked around and saw a red one and grabbed it and continued writing “COMING. DON’T STAY.”

She could write more but that would be enough to warn them. She snuck out that night and headed to the “trap area”. She crumpled it up and hid it between the seats, just in case one of the wolves came by and saw it. She just hoped the poor souls that get trapped would find it.  
\-----------------------

The bad part of the group only came every once in a while when they got back from “hunting”. They would come back with clothes and canned goods. She knew that more than likely, they had found defenseless people and taken it. They never came back with survivors. The anger had been building for a while. She knew they had to survive but these men were cruel and evil. It was always one-sided.  
One day when they all got back she had heard them conversing about her. 

“Man, is she even eighteen?” They looked over at her, knowing she could hear them.

“Who cares. With those big blue eyes and that ass of hers, I’d fuck her even if she were younger.” The men laughed loudly.

She shivered. Thoughts of these people running around were sickening to her.   
\-------------------

It didn’t take long for one of them to try something with her. When they saw her getting comfortable and less on edge, they had assumed she had her guard down. They were wrong and all of them soon found out that she wasn’t to be messed with.

The lead man of the group had gotten cocky and had grabbed her from behind. She spun around, shoving her gun into his forehead.

He backed off and raised his hands, “Come on, I was jus’ jokin’.” He gave a little laugh but she knew he was nervous. Her finger lingered on the trigger, putting slight pressure, itching to pull the trigger. She didn’t like men who took advantage of women and she knew she wasn’t his first attempt. She knew he had tried it with other women in the camp and sometimes had even succeeded. Their close rooms weren’t soundproof. 

Beth had made up her mind up and was about to pull the trigger when a voice stopped her.

“Beth, don’t. He’s not worth it.” Edwards had called out.

“No one would miss him.” She bit back. “He goes huntin’ from time to time. The rest of the time he’s harassing the women around camp.”

One of his buddies came forward, “Now look, he can be a jerk sometimes but he’s been leading this group pretty damn good so-“

Beth shook her head, “There needs to be some change around here… With all of you… Starting with him.” She squeezed the trigger and his blood splattered everywhere. Some splatter landing on his buddy but mostly on her.

Some of his friends raised their guns but she didn’t just have herself. Edwards and Tanaka drew their weapons and number of people she had become close with held their weapons trained on them as well.  
“Now I’m not gonna be your leader, your dictator, or whatever but this shit’s gotta stop. Every time you hunters come back we have to act invisible because your sights get locked on us as weak and defenseless. Used for your own pleasure.” Beth stopped to gauge their reactions. They still seemed shaken up by what just happened.

“I will not hesitate. If I even think one of these women are getting abused or taken advantage of, I will kill you. Don’t believe me? Try me.” She looked down at the body of the man and then back at his friends who had lowered their weapons. “This shit ends now.” And she stalked off into her designated room.

The next morning she ignored the whispers. The stares. She could care less what they thought about her. She was going to protect this group and if they didn’t like her style per say, they could leave.   
“You know we could just kill that bitch. She ain’t nothing. One bullet from behind. Done.” The man took a swig of his beer.

“I don’t know. She’s smart. She led that run the other day and we came out with more than we ever had. That store’s been there forever and we never thought to raid it. She also saved your ass from that biter. She’s an asset. And just cause you can’t get a piece of ass is not a good reason to go shooting up people.” Another man informed and all the others nodded, agreeing with him.

\---------------------------------

Two of the men came back speaking of another group. They told her that they were crazy. One of them beat the shit out of them with a stick and she had to hold back her laughter at the scene that played out in her head. 

“What did you do to get that stick beating?” she was teasing but also curious.

“We just wanted his stuff. And he wouldn’t give it up.”

Beth nodded, “Now I understand. But I’m shocked he didn’t kill you.”

“We were too! He left us in a car, a few walkers were around the car but nothing we couldn’t handle. Went back to our trap, and it had been sprung. The walkers were everywhere.”  
Beth side eyed the men, “I don’t see how this group is threatenin’ us. That man had every right to knock you on your ass.” 

“But what if they are threatening. They know we’re out here. And judging by the pictures, they have a way nicer setup than we do.”

Beth’s interest sparked, “Pictures?”

“Yeah.” The man pulled them out of the back pack. 

She flipped through a few and then her breath caught. She came across a picture of Rick and Carl. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It was them! 

She gave them back to the man who handed them to her. 

“I’ll go and sort this out.”

The men all looked between each other, thinking she was crazy.

“Alone?”

She smirked slightly as she headed to her room to get packed, “Why not? They’re old friends.”


	3. Really Wish She Hadn't Left Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To have her ripped away from him… it broke his soul, tore a piece from it. Like a candle light being blown out, Beth was gone forever. One stupid mistake and bang… She was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating: T for language I guess; Also Rated D for depressing

The thoughts that swam in his head while he was going on a solo run for supplies were strong today. It’d been months since her death and he still thought about her every day. How her hand felt in his. How her giggles had echoed though his ears as he carried her to the lunch he had set for them that afternoon. How her eyes shined with curiosity when she had asked him what had changed his mind.

The pain ripped through him when he realized he would never be able to have that type of intimacy, that type of bond with another human being again.

Daryl could hear Merle’s mocking words inside his head. Even Daryl felt like mocking himself. It was a natural reaction of a Dixon on the subject of finding… love? Some bull shit everyone dreamed of finding. Something that wasn’t possible in a Dixon’s world.

But... Hadn’t he found something like that? His mom used to read romance novels and she would sometimes talk about them to him. His mom had once told him that once he found that one person he would know. That person would love him for him. She would reassure him of his strengths instead of bringing up his weaknesses. She would make him a better person and he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life with her.

But what the hell did she know. She married his piece of shit dad.

But Daryl let himself play with that feeling a little anyways.

He had come to peace with the fact that they had been the only ones that survived. He had been a little too comfortable with that. He imagined finally catching the mangy mutt, planned on waking up every morning to piano songs being played, and just being with her and her lightness. Her hope. Her reminding him that he had changed for the good, like he asked her too.

She wasn’t going to be able to remind him that he had changed for the better. At least not physically there, she’d always be in his head, whispering encouragement to him as if she were still in existence.

_“You did!” Beth enforced_

_“Maybe you’re gonna have to keep remindin’ me sometimes.”_

_“No… You can’t depend on anyone for anything, remember?” ….. “I’ll be gone someday.”_

_His reaction was immediate, “Stop.”_

_“I will… You’re gonna be the last man standin’.”_

_He didn’t like that idea at all. Being alone. Being without her._

_“You’re gonna miss me so bad, when I’m gone Daryl Dixon.”_

Daryl felt his chest slightly constrict.

She said she wasn’t going to leave him… He really wished she hadn’t.


	4. Tracking & Hoping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wouldn't kill ya to have a little faith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating T

It was fucking hot.

Tracking was getting harder and harder on her aching muscles and her hair stuck to her face like tree sap. She groaned when the trail stopped cold. Soon the petite woman came across something else.

“A walker passed through here recently, be careful.”

“How do you know?”

She smiled at the trail, “The trail’s all zig zaggy. Either it’s a walker or a drunk.” She pushed her blonde hair off her neck and poured the rest of the contents of her canteen over it. She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her lips as the water soaked the back of her yellow polo shirt.

“I’m not interrupting anything am I?” Edwards smiled at her and she returned the smile. Officer Tanaka smiled too as he was keeping watch around them.

“Just tryin not to die from this heat, s’all.” Beth got up and tried to back track her trail, “I know people walked through here. What worries me is that both sets of tracks are fairly fresh. They coulda gotten in trouble.” Beth frowned at the thought.

Her tiny group had been making their way through Virginia for a few days now and they were already losing hope of finding people. She didn’t know how she had went this long without food. She had caught a few squirrels and rabbits here and there but she was going on 12 hours without food and it was slightly getting to her. She was burning off fuel just by standing in the hot sun. It was good that she was keeping hydrated but they were running out of water as well. They needed a miracle.

She walked a few more steps and then her head started aching. Not a dull ache she had gotten used to either. This was sharp and wasn’t going away like it usually did. She grabbed the side of her head and winced in pain.

“Maybe we should rest.” Edwards suggested, eyeing her nervously.

“I’ve been restin’ for too long. We need to keep going.” As the pain subsided, she dropped her hand and started following the trail.

“How do you even know we’re going to find them?” Edwards was trying his best to be sympathetic but also realistic. In reality, her group could be dead for all they knew.

Beth couldn’t help stopping and turning to glare at him, “We have a map. Noah would have told them about his home in Richmond. They would have checked it out. We found it, they weren’t there but they gotta be movin’ farther north. Maybe D.C. I’m not givin’ up on them.”

“Long trip.” Edwards took the map from her. “How do you even know we’re going the right way?”

Beth snatched it away from him, “Wouldn’t hurt ya’ to have a little faith, Edwards.”

Beth continued walking. They would need to find food and water soon. She was starting to see stars cloud her vison and she didn’t need to pass out on him. She would never hear the end of it.


	5. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth / Wolf Story. Bethyl reuniting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came from a BGWP post that paralleled the comic book.

This was dangerous. It was crazy. It was exhilarating.

These people had already taken a shot at her and nearly hit her. She should leave them alone but knowing they could retaliate after her raid on their camp yesterday was enough for her to scout what exactly they’d be up against… If they were thinking about attacking, she had to see the level of firepower.

She wasn’t stupid though. Adrenaline junkie maybe, but she wasn’t an idiot.

She had lead a group out to a nearby boutique. No one liked to accessorize during the apocalypse so after they killed the minimal walkers lurking in the store, she found a black hoodie, some black jeans, and a black scarf to wrap around her face. She would have to be stealthy but she had known by now that the gates didn’t stay closed. Enid would be opening them for her tonight.

Enid. Their inside girl. Some of the group didn’t trust her for good reason. But Beth had many talks with Enid. She was a smart girl who missed her parents, killed by the actions of these “Alexandrians”. Beth knew how that felt. Both to lose her parents and be held somewhere against your will. Some Wolf members kept reminding her of the fact that Enid still lived with the enemy technically.

Beth would always shake her head at them. Enid could be trusted.

Beth stealthily made her way to the edge of the woods. She could see the gates. She had told Enid to keep a look out for her but something was wrong. Enid wasn’t there to meet her.

Beth shoved her uneasy feelings to the side. She needed to get out of the woods so Enid could maybe see her better. She took one step out of the forest and…. Nothing. No sniper bullet. No alarms. She was all good.

She let a breath slip past her lips as she fully came out of the woods, the moon was the only light illuminating her figure. She was being ridiculous. No one could see her especially in her attire. She slowly made her way to one of the walls.

And she almost made it until strong arms came up behind her and held her in a head lock.

“Open them gates. I’m getting’ tired of these people’s smug attitude.”

The gruff, southern drawl perked her ears. She had heard that before. But she couldn’t think about that now. The man had her in a painful choke hold and she hated his guts right now. Once they got her inside she got enough distance and brought her leg back to rake down his shin.

It didn’t faze him as much as she had liked, just made him grunt and reposition her.

“That house, there!” he bit out at his friend. Daryl had to admit, she gave up a mean fight. He or she. He couldn’t tell but if it was a man he was quite small and had some feminine qualities to him.

She was dragged into a vacant house and thrown into a chair. Daryl held her but was paying attention more to her hands. She brought back her head and nailed him in the face. She grimaced, the man’s head had to be made of bricks but she had caught him off guard.

“Please just get her hands behind her so I don’t end up handicapped.”

His friend wrestled her hands in handcuffs behind the back of the chair. They let her struggle a little and when she calmed down slightly, Daryl brought his hands to her waist and she jerked, “I’m just getting your weapons off ya’.” His voice was close to her ear and was gravely and slow. In any other situation she would have found it sexy and calming but his hands on her made her angry instead.

He got her gun and her knife off her. He tossed them onto a table nearby but of course out of reach. She had her head down, trying to think how she was going to get herself out of this one.

When he got to her ankle she brought her foot up and nailed him in the mouth. That got a slightly more aggravated reaction out of him. He muttered, “Shit.” As he covered his now bleeding mouth, retreating to the bathroom. Beth picked her head up to look at his retreating form, smirking to herself. He had gotten her small knife hidden there but at least she got something out of it.

She eyed his friend who seemed out of his element. Nervous. Afraid. Good, he should be. There was a voice coming form down the hall, “Aaron, them handcuffs tight enough? Because if they ain’t I know she’s likely to kill me the first chance she gets.”

He was funny. And even though they had her tied to a chair, they didn’t seem threatening. Wouldn’t her group have done the same? She could think of some Wolf members who wouldn’t’ have brought her in to begin with. Just killed her right where she had stood.

She could hear him making his way to where they were, “Had that one comin’ I guess.”

He turned the corner and Beth’s heart drooped to her stomach. She knew this man. It was fuzzy but she remembered him. Angel wings embroidered on his vest. Crossbow hanging off his back. Long dark hair. Damn her memory.

He stopped for a second also when he was close enough to see half her face. Her blue eyes were straining as they both just stayed still for a moment. It seemed for a short second he was working some puzzle in his head as well.

A knock on the door brought them out of their long stupor as Aaron went to open the door. Now she knew something was going on. The man that came in the house, she thought she knew this man too.

“Saw you dragging someone in here.” Rick stated. “Have they said anything?” Daryl was not paying attention to Rick, just staring at her again. “Daryl?”

Daryl… Daryl… What the fuck was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she remember?

Daryl drug his eyes from her and answered, “Nah, she’s one hell of a fighter though.”

Rick looked at where his mouth was bleeding, “She tries anything, gets out of those handcuffs, anything. You don’t hesitate.”

Daryl nodded. He went over to her and bent down to her level. His smell. That kicked her brain in gear. It was musky. Almost like Leather. She flashed back to a cabin, her feeling her arms around the back of someone. The leather feel of the vest, the smell of it invading her senses.

He was studying her eyes. For a long time. She felt slightly uncomfortable but couldn’t bring herself to look away.

Daryl cursed himself.

_Stop. It can’t be. It’s not._

But he had to know.

“Gonna remove this scarf. Jus’ don’t bite me.”

Beth nodded. She knew him. She had to and maybe if he saw her, he’d know and set her straight.

He removed the hood of her sweat jacket and the sight of her long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail made him take in a sharp breath. His eyes were bearing into hers. His fingers were shaking as he touched the scarf and slowly let it fall.

His eyes showed so many emotions at once. But Beth finally got her answer. He knew her.

It wasn’t Daryl that spoke but the other man behind him, “Be… Beth?”

“How… do ya’… How do ya’ know me?”

Daryl was still kneeling down beside her and she saw the hurt that crossed over his face when she had asked how she knew them. He looked helplessly at Rick as if he couldn’t speak.

“No, I have this feeling I know you too. I just… can’t remember.” Beth reassured him and she felt Daryl’s hands move to her face, his thumb moving slowly across her cheek. She jerked at the contact but settled slightly.

“You were right.” Daryl admitted.

He withdrew his hands from her face and she looked at him questioningly.

“I missed ya’ somethin’ fierce, Beth.”

Her memory stuttered.

_“You’re gonna miss me so bad when I’m gone, Daryl Dixon.”_

_The cabin. Or still. Or whatever._

“We burnt it down.” She blurted out and he nodded with a slight half-smile on his features.

He brought his arms around her and slid the key into the cuffs and freed her wrists.

“Am I missing something here? She was hell bent on killing you and suddenly we know this person?”

Daryl was stuck in his own little world and half heard Rick explaining to Aaron. He could only let a “How?” escape his lips and it was her turn to smile.

“I’m a very lucky girl, Daryl.”

He shook his head, “I’m expectin’ this ta’ be a dream.”

She let out a small laugh, “I’m no dream.”

“Coulda fooled me.”

She tilted her head to the side, “I don’t remember you being this good with words.”

“People change.”

She nodded, “Yeah. They do.”

He didn’t like how she stated that. But before he could speak again someone came barging in the house.

The man that had barged in had his eyes locked on her, “This the bitch who’s been killin’ our people?”

He advanced and Daryl stood up protectively, “Leave her be.”

“What, we’re protecting enemies now? I say we do to her what she did to ours. Light her on fire and throw her over the wall.” Nicholas growled out, training his glare on Beth.

Daryl was losing his patience. He gritted out through his teeth, “Wasn’t her.”

“How are you so sure? You said there was a Wolf supposed to be lurking out there. This just a coincidence.”

Daryl had completely forgotten. He was so surprised and baffled it kicked all his other thoughts out of his head. Nicholas was right. Beth or not, she had to be the wolf Enid had mentioned.

Daryl turned to her, “That true?”

Beth turned her head to the side, not wanting to look at him, “I’ve done many things.”

Nicholas shoved passed Daryl and grabbed at her. Daryl caught him and flung him back.

“Not now!” Daryl yelled.

“Then when? We just going to let these people inside and treat them like nothing happened?” Nicholas spat pacing back and forth.

“She’s different… She was one of us.”

She didn’t know why but the past tense hurt her a little. But sometimes the truth hurt. She didn’t belong to this group anymore.

“He’s right.” She whispered.

Daryl turned to her, not sure what she meant.

“I’m not one of you anymore. I belong somewhere else.”

Her heart broke at the sight of Daryl’s tortured look he gave her. She must mean something to him by the way he seemed to break at her words.

She continued, “I can go back and we never have to cross paths again. I’ll keep them from bothering this place.”

Nicholas huffed, “How can we trust a Wolf? How can we trust they’ll listen to you?”

“You can’t. I don’t expect you to. But I do care for these people. I always will.” Beth looked at Daryl who was now biting at his thumbnail. He was holding back.

Nicholas shook his head, “You didn’t seem to care before.” He sighed, “Whatever. I still say we throw her over the wall.” He left after that. Beth rose from her chair, grabbing her scarf from the ground.

“Beth…”

Beth stopped him, “Don’t… After all I’ve done… I’ve killed your people. I’ve slit their throats when they’ve gone on runs. I helped raid this place that first time we showed up here. I don’t belong and I can’t come back. Just the way it has to be. Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Daryl.”

Rick stepped forward, “You can keep them away?”

Daryl glared at Rick but Rick disregarded it.

She moved her eyes from Daryl to settle on Rick, “They listen to me and whoever doesn’t, I will kill them if they try. I promise.”

Daryl muttered, “You ain’t good at keepin those.”

She frowned at his statement, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Daryl shook his head, “Doesn’t matter.”

Beth sighed, “Please, don’t. This is how it has to be. You know that. Too much has happened. You think everyone is gonna feel safe with me here? Knowing I killed your people?”

Daryl opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Beth nodded, “Exactly, so it’s settled? Let me go back and I’ll say we have an agreement.”

Rick nodded. Daryl was livid. His crystal blue eyes looked like they were on a fire.

She got up but stopped, “Maggie… Is she still..”

Rick nodded. Beth sighed, “I’d appreciate if you kept this from her. It’s just easier.”

“You don’t wanna even see her?” Daryl spat. Beth looked at him. He was leaning against a wall, chewing away at his thumbnail again.

Beth shook her head, “I don’t want to cause any more pain to all of you.”

Daryl scoffed and shook his head in disbelief, “’N you leavin’ isn’t supposed ta’ hurt?”

She was shocked by his words. This was hurting him more than she thought it would. She wished she could have all their memories back so she could know why exactly they were connected. Why he didn’t want to let her go.

“It has to-“

“Whatever, go then.” Daryl shoved off the wall and walked towards the door.

“You think it doesn’t hurt?!” She yelled.

He stopped walking when he heard the strangled sentence leave her lips.

“You think it doesn’t pain me that I can’t remember but jus’ bits n’ piece? I know there’s more but I can’t remember. And it doesn’t matter because what’s done is done. I can’t come back.” Beth’s voice continued to break, the tears were clouding her vision.

He didn’t say anything. He just walked out and left her with Aaron and Rick.

She wiped her tears away and controlled the feelings that were bursting inside her, “I guess, this is goodbye.” She gathered her weapons from the table.

Rick and Aaron nodded.

Alexandria was nice. The houses were huge and well kept. Daddy would have been happy here. And maybe if things were different. Maybe if she had made it out of Grady with her family. Just maybe she would be able to be happy with them. But that wasn’t the case. She had a new group to protect and even if she were opened to leaving them, it wasn’t fair to the others. She had done horrible things to them. It was best if she just left and never came back.

Beth finally got to the gate and ran her fingers along the metal of the lock.

“The Funeral house.”

She spun around and Daryl was leaned up on the wall of the far side of the entrance.  She had been so caught up in her thoughts she hadn’t even seen his figure.

“That Moonshine. Yellin at me when I was bein’ a drunk dick. The talk we had on the porch. That piggy back ride. Holdin your hand when we found that grave. Teachin ya to track. The Pigs feet, the diet soda, and peanut butter and jelly.”

She felt the tears form again as she shook her head, “Stop.” She was remembering everything but what’s done was done.

He had pushed himself off the wall and was walking towards her now, “Me carrying ya’ to the table for lunch ‘cause you were way too slow on your ankle. At least that’s the reason I gave you.”

Beth shook her head again, “Daryl, stop.”

“Our last conversation.”

 

_“What changed your mind?”_

_“….”_

_“….. Oh.”_

“STOP!”

He did stop this time. Slightly surprised by her outburst

“Don’t you see?” She let the tears freely flow this time. “It doesn’t matter. The past doesn’t matter.”

Beth couldn’t look at him so she looked over to a house to the side, “It… doesn’t… matter. Not anymore.”

Daryl glared at her, “None of it?”

She felt her chest constrict, “No, none of it.”

She was being cruel and she knew it. But she couldn’t stay and he had to get that through his head.

“You’re lyin’.” Daryl’s voice was laced with hurt and anger.

She took in a sharp breath as she heard the break in his voice, “No, I’m not.” She turned back around to the gate and lifted up the lock and slid the gate back.

“You said you weren’t gonna leave me.”

It was a raspy whisper but she heard it.

She had said that. She remembered. She was starting to remember a lot of things. Being subtle was apparently not cutting it.

She closed the gate and walked back up to him, “What the hell do you expect me to do Daryl? Stay here? Leave my group? Come here and we can live a happy life together? You think anyone but you and the group is gonna want me here?”

He stared at her. She continued, “I’m not the same girl you knew. I’ve done things, horrible things. I’m not the girl you used to know. You gotta let her go.”

Daryl let out a sigh, “I’ll never let her go. Never did, never will.”

That stopped her. “You… what?”

Daryl took his eyes away from her for a brief second and then back, “After the car was gone. The one we left you in… I kept looking. I never stopped. I was looking for people too just never lost the slight hope of findin’ you. Even though you were dead. I still… You deserved better.”

Beth couldn’t find her voice to speak for a moment but then uttered out, “I… I’ve gotta go. I’m sorry. I really am.”

Daryl didn’t know what he was doing but he rushed in front of her and slammed the gate back, “No.”

Beth rolled her eyes, “Please, just-“

“Not without this.” Daryl’s hand went to his waist and brought her knife out.

The millions of emotions that hit her at once almost knocked her senseless, “That mine?”

He nodded.

“And you… kept it on you? All this time?”

He nodded, handing it to her, “You still want it?”

She looked down at it and nodded, “Thank you.”

She hooked it to her other belt loop and studied him as he moved away from the entrance, she took one step towards it. Her fingers absently ran over the sheath that held her knife.

To say she was conflicted was a huge understatement. She stood there for, it had to be, a whole minute.

“Havin’ doubts?”

She sighed, “Thanks to you.”

Daryl lightened up, “We’ll make it work. You can stay, Beth. Jus’… I can’t take losin ya’ again.”

She turned to him again. “I can’t… How do you expect-“

He walked up to her and grabbed her face, “Shut up.”

And she did. She had no choice with his mouth on hers. He softly pushed her up against the entrance and she could care less to the reason why this was bad. His hands lingered on her face but soon dropped to her elbows, sliding down her arms to her waist. She ripped her mouth away from his and caught her breath.

“Please, stay.”

“I can’t”

Daryl huffed, “You’re stubborn.”

“No, I’m just not blind like some people.” Beth shot back at him.

Her hands were on his chest, and she was still trying to catch her breath, “I don’t recall that ever happening.”

Daryl wasn’t letting go of her waist, “Yeah, it shoulda though.”

She shook her head, “What am I gonna do with you.”

“Stay.”

She could hear the pleading in his voice.

She tore away from him but just to pace. Not moving towards the gate.

“A smart girl once told me a long time ago that it wouldn’t kill me to have a little faith…” Daryl muttered as he watched her have her inner conflict. “How ‘bout you take your own advice?”

She huffed, stilling herself.

“I can’t leave them out there. I’ve grown too close to them and they have children. If you can convince the people here to give us chance… Then I’ll stay. But I’m not leaving them out there by themselves.”

Daryl bit the inside of his cheek. How the hell was he going to do that?

“Will you stay tonight?”

The question caught her off guard, “With you?”

She caught the slight flush he got at her question, “If you wanna.”

She bit her lip and nodded as he took her hand and led them to what seemed to be a very unknown future.  


End file.
